Reuse of Fallen Bread and Cockroach Sightings... Hygiene Controversy at Hamburger Chain

150 Million Won Fine for Food Sanitation Law Violation
Company Admits Fault: "Insufficient Employee Training"
Cockroaches Found in Cola Last April

A famous burger franchise chain operated by a large corporation has been penalized by authorities for reusing hamburger buns that had fallen on the floor.

According to Yonhap News on the 12th, around 11 a.m. on the 7th, an employee at an L company store in Gyeongnam dropped a hamburger bun with mayonnaise on it to the floor but picked it up and continued making the burger as if nothing had happened, then served it to customer A.

Customer A, who witnessed the entire process, pointed out, "You shouldn’t reuse something that fell on the floor," but the employee reportedly lied, saying that the bun dropped on the floor had been thrown into the trash. Only after A’s strong protest did the employee search the trash can, confirm that the discarded bun was not there, apologize, and remake the product.

A considered it problematic that a large corporation with over 1,000 stores nationwide was selling hamburgers priced at 8,000 won each while managing hygiene poorly and that the employee did not admit fault. A posted a complaint on the company’s website and also reported the incident to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.

Later, A pointed out that the company’s apology did not feel sincere. The store manager and the head of the company’s customer center only said "sorry" without properly verifying the facts, making it feel like a mere formality.

A posted on the company's website.
Photo by Yonhap News

A said, "The employee made eye contact with me while making the burger but still used the bun that had fallen on the floor. The mayonnaise that had fallen on the floor was even wiped off with a tissue," adding, "The company’s customer center also responded very insincerely. I wanted to resolve this amicably, but I wanted to publicize this fact to raise awareness about food hygiene," the media reported.

A company representative explained, "The content of the post A made on the website was all confirmed to be true through the store’s CCTV," and added, "Employee training was insufficient."

The local government promptly conducted an on-site inspection and interviewed the store manager to verify A’s report. Additionally, poor hygiene of cooking utensils was found, and a total fine of 1.5 million won was imposed.

Meanwhile, this company’s hygiene issues have already occurred twice in the past two months. On April 12, a live cockroach was found in the cola of customer B, who was eating a set menu at a store in Gyeonggi Province, resulting in a five-day business suspension.